La Bruschetta is a rustic Italian restaurant located in Corso Italia Toronto for over 40 years. We specialize in food from Umbria, all originating from our family recipes. Food made with love. Keeping traditions alive!

What a memorable evening

What an incredible evening!!!! My very Italian aunt was visiting from out of town with her entire family. She has not been to Toronto in about 30 years. So, we needed to make this special.
I had been to La Bruschetta on a few occasions and had always felt truly well cared for. When I brought my parents here for a special dinner, they were fauned over like royalty. And the food...SO authentic!
Anyway, having been so well treated previously - and because this evening was so important - my expectations were very high.
Needless to say, the team at La Bruschetta did not disappoint. Right from the beginning, we were welcomed like lost cousins, with hugs and cheers.
From the time that we got our first basket of bread (with La Bruschetta's house made spicy oil) and the house trademark - complimentary bruschetta - until we were finally rolled out the door, the food never failed to intoxicate the sense.
Anytime that I have visited this remarkable establishment, I have always just told the owners to "feed us". Course after course of Italian delight then flows out of the kitchen until you scream "Basta!" (Italian for "STOP!!").
If you are up for a bit of an adventure, I highly recommend that you do the same.
And make sure that you get to try the gnocchi (better than my sainted grandmother's - truly).

Terrible Service!!!

My partner and I have been taking advantage of the latest voucher craze to get deals on meals in Toronto. This particular Wednesday, March 22, 2011, we made 8pm reservations for two at La Bruschetta (Saint Clair Avenue West) and informed the person on the line that we had our voucher. "No problem" she said.
We drove to the location and I entered the premises while my partner parked the car. When I walked into the nearly empty restaurant (only two tables were active) I was in clear view. The waiter was standing behind the bar and made me wait at least five minutes before approaching me and seating me. A few minutes later, my partner came in and sat down. The waiter came over after about 5 minutes and read us the specials.
One of the specials was called Osso Bucco. He said, "if you don't know what that is, then what are doing in an Italian restaurant?" His comment was rude, his tone arrogant and devoid of any humour. My partner did not hear this comment properly and did not notice it's offensive intent. However, after the waiter left I made a verbal comparison of this restaurant to a place we had previously gone for dinner and were treated gruffly by the staff. It had been the benchmark of poor treatment in a restaurant up to this point.
Nevertheless, we followed through standard protocol and ordered drinks; a glass of red for my partner and a glass of white for me. I was annoyed and feeling uncomfortable already. It seemed like what was supposed to be a romantic dinner was going to be a somewhat unpleasant experience.
The waiter brought our drinks and asked for our order, although it should have been clear we were still studying the menu. My partner politely asked for clarification on one of the specials. Instead of explaining it, he simply repeated what he had said about it the first time and offered no other information, even though it was obvious my partner was looking to better understand the ingredients. The waiter did not ask or seem to care if my partner had understood what he said.
About three minutes later, the waiter returned asking "Are you ready to order now?" while we were still studying the menu. I replied simply and firmly "No". The waiter left and we discussed the situation. We were both feeling unwelcome and uncomfortable. The waiter's treatment of us was bordering on abusive. At the very least it was extremely unprofessional and distasteful.
We decided to finish our drinks and leave enough cash on the table to more than cover the bill (the drink total was $20.25 and we left $27 just to be sure taxes were covered). We were in no mood to discuss anything further with this waiter.
Needless to say, we will never return to this restaurant and will have nothing good to say about it.

Visited La Bruschetta for a yummy Winterlicious dinner.
We were wowed by the extensive menus - multiple choices for app, main and dessert. In addition to the 3 course we also received fresh bread and bruschetta - a little spicy and very good. My app was grilled calamari with a small salad - it was very good but probably not the best ever. My main was to die for, perfectly cooked pasta and delicious sauce. The dessert was timely and a nice, light finish. Wine list was a little pricey but the house selections were affordable. The atmosphere was cute and quaint but we would have loved to be a little further away from the door. All in all, a delicious experience with VERY good value!

We went to La Bruschetta for Winterlicious and...

We went to La Bruschetta for Winterlicious and loved it. The staff were very friendly, we asked our server and it turns out the restaurant was family owned + runned- the pictures on their wall were family pictures. The food was delicious and as a fan of desserts, I loved their home made tiramisu. We were eating and apparently the owner was eating at the table behind us, he was about done and he visited a few tables to say hello and asked how things were. My friend has made reservations to go back with his family already!

The meal started out quite well with the...

The meal started out quite well with the bruschetta and a side of peppers in olive oil. While my friend enjoyed her grilled calamari, the mussels were not very hot and one of the tips of my mussels weas cold. When the main came in, we were all disappointed by the wild mushrooms being button mushroom and portobello. The veal could have been hotter, but worst, the carrots and broccoli were refrigerator cold. A linguini with market vegetables turned out to be spaghetti with thawed green giant vegetables and pieces of broccoli stem. Finally, the authentic tiramisu was topped with chocolate sauce. Very disappointed in the lack of authenticity. Summerlicious is a great opportunity for restaurants to win new customers; instead, this soured our experience. Meanwhile, the staff was friendly but was not good at answering questions. We also had three different waiters.

Appears in 6 Smart Lists

Nestled away in St. Clair West Village sits one of Toronto’s most popular destination restaurants. La Bruschetta has been serving authentic, traditional Italian cuisine based on family recipes to its customers for over 20 years. On its Winterlicious menu you’ll find classic Caprese salad, fusilli alla vodka (using house-made pasta) and a profiterole.